Adrian Beltre, Rangers nearing a deal

Orioles sign reliever Kevin Gregg.

All-Star third baseman Adrian Beltre and the American League champion Texas Rangers are nearing agreement on a contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

"We've still got some central issues to resolve. Not done yet," the person said, without getting into specifics.

Beltre became a free agent after turning down a $10-million player option to stay with Boston.

The Angels were among the teams pursuing Beltre this off-season.

A two-time Gold Glove winner, Beltre hit .321 with 49 doubles, 28 homers and 102 RBIs in 154 games in his only season with the Red Sox. He was an All-Star for the first time in his 13-season career.

The Rangers were spurned in their attempt this off-season to keep Cliff Lee, even after offering the ace left-hander $138 million over six years. Lee instead returned to Philadelphia.

Beltre, who will turn 32 the first week of the regular season, is a .275 hitter in 1,835 career games for the Dodgers (1998-04), Seattle (2005-09) and Boston.

The Dodgers signed Beltre as a 15-year-old in 1994, and he made his major league debut with the team four years later. After hitting .334 with 48 homers and 121 RBIs in his final season with the Dodgers in 2004, Beltre went to the Mariners.

The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a $10-million, two-year contract with right-handed reliever Kevin Gregg, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press.

The deal is subject to Gregg passing a physical, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the agreement was not yet final.

The 32-year-old Gregg went 2-6 with a 3.51 earned-run average and 37 saves with the Toronto Blue Jays last season. He is expected to compete with Koji Uehara for the job as Baltimore's closer.

Miguel Olivo and the Seattle Mariners have completed their $7-million, two-year contract, bringing the catcher back to the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle also has agreed to a $2.75-million, two-year contract with shortstop Brendan Ryan, acquired last month in a trade with St. Louis. In a deal that avoids arbitration, Ryan gets $1 million this season and $1.75 million in 2012.

Rodriguez may learn fate at Michigan on Wednesday

Michigan and Rich Rodriguez will meet again Wednesday to discuss the embattled football coach's future, the Associated Press reported.

A person familiar with the situation told the AP that Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon had not decided whether to fire Rodriguez, who has compiled a 15-22 record with college football's winningest program.

Defensive back James Rogers said a Tuesday night players meeting was postponed until Wednesday afternoon; Rodriguez traditionally holds the meeting the night before classes resume each semester.

Michigan officials declined to comment amid reports that Rodriguez had already been fired.

"The definitive voice on this matter is Dave Brandon, and he has not and will not speak publicly until a final decision has been made," associate athletic director Dave Ablauf said in a statement.

If Rodriguez is fired, Michigan would owe him $2.5 million to buy out the final three years of his contract.

Potential candidates to replace him include Stanford Coach Jim Harbaugh, a former Wolverines quarterback, and San Diego State Coach and former Wolverines assistant Brady Hoke.

Michigan won its first five games, but lost six of the last eight. The season was also marred by NCAA violations tied to practices and workouts that led to three years of probation, one of the nation's worst defenses and a pair of kickers who missed 10 of 14 field goals.

Texas has hired Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis to coach the Longhorns' defensive tackles. The move is the second hire on coach Mack Brown's depleted staff after the Longhorns went 5-7 in 2010, their first losing season in 13 years.